Biotech Updates

New Nematode-Resistant Habanero

September 25, 2009

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricutural Research Service (ARS) researchers at Charleston, South Carolina lead by plant geneticist Richard Fery and plant pathologist Judy Thies will soon release the latest habanero pepper PA-559 which has resistance to root-knot nematode. The root-knot nematode is one of the leading plant parasitic nematodes on horticultural and field crops. It is the cause of poor plant growth resulting to reductions in quality and yields and reduced resistance to other stresses such as drought and disease.

PA-559 contains a dominant gene for the pest resistant trait obtained from its parent TigerPaw-NR which was released by ARS in 2006. This new line has been field tested in Charleston for over two years which confirmed its nematode resistance and showed that the fruit characteristics are comparable to the existing red-fruited habanero-type cultivars. PA-559 will be available as a parental line in breeding systems and will be available in the market soon.

See the article at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/090922.htm